


Learning to Cope

by ShyWhovian



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: A Bit Not Good, Gen, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Luckily Two is there to help, Nightmares, PDA: Combat Rock, Post-Adventure, Scary, Victoria is a small child who needs protecting, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 12:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8667148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShyWhovian/pseuds/ShyWhovian
Summary: Life in the TARDIS isn't always very easy, Victoria Waterfield knows that better than anyone but one adventure proves to be slightly too much for her. In the absence of her father, the Doctor steps in to help her cope and provide some much needed comfort.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Victoria had a horrible time in Combat Rock, and I'm a horrible person so I decided to torture her further. Also, I'm aware that awful title is awful...I'll change it, maybe. If I can think of anything better.

In her dream Victoria was back in the spacecraft with those terrible, awful, beastly men, soaring high above the jungle. They were all standing around her in a circle, save the pilot who was still watching that dreadful film on his wristwatch all while somehow managing to keep control of the machine. The big, bearded one with the displaced eye was leering suggestively at her, as he had earlier on in the day, and she shrank back in abject horror as he reached for her and began pawing at her skirts while the others laughed and jeered and told him to rip it off. Clearly this was all some big joke to them, one that the young Victorian girl disapproved of. She cried out, calling for the Doctor, for Jamie, for anyone who could possibly come and save her. But no one came.

The ship lurched, sending them sprawling on the floor like a pile of collapsed dominoes and making the shuttle door fly open. Then she was falling, sucked out of the ship by the escaping air. Hurtling towards the ground at an alarming speed, only to be saved at the last minute by a hand clutching the back of her dress. The girl turned to thank her saviour but instead let out an ear-piercing scream. It was Agus, his body still impaled on the stick, arrow in his throat, blood dripping everywhere creating a scarlet stain on the green jungle floor. She was covered in it. Then he opened his mouth to speak and two thin, green serpents flew out of it, mouths open, prepared to strike her throat and kill her the way they had killed the soldiers and Wina. And this time there was no Doctor to save her. She screamed again.

\---  
The Doctor was plotting a course for Earth when the alarm bells went off, having decided that they could all do with a break after their horrendous experience on Jenngel, and he immediately stopped, looking around in a flustered panic wondering what was wrong. He peered at the console; nothing wrong there and according to the screens there was nothing wrong with the rest of the TARDIS either. The alarm bell continued to ring, the shrill monotone sound rousing an exhausted, bleary-eyed Jamie, who had appeared at the console room door, blinking and yawning as he asked in confusion. “What's wrong Doctor? Why's it makin' so much noise?”

“I'm not sure Jamie.” The Doctor frowned, the lines on his face deepening in concern. “But I do know that the TARDIS is quite worked up about something and seems to be rather determined to get our...ah, my attention.”

The young Scot sighed, looking as though he'd expected it to be something like that. “Och, what did ye do this time? Did ye offend it again?”

The dark haired Time Lord looked affronted. Him, offend his TARDIS? Never! It wasn't his fault if the TARDIS was sending out a distress signal, he certainly hadn't asked her to. “No I did not.” He replied indignantly. “Oh crumbs, this does seem quite serious you know. Now I think you and Victoria should...” He paused and looked at his Scottish friend. “Where is Victoria?”

“Victoria? She's asleep Doctor, like I was before all this racket. The poor wee lass was exhausted, remember? Ye sent her straight to bed the moment we got back?”

Asleep? Yes, he did remember her disappearing to her bedroom a while ago. How she could sleep through all of this he had no idea, unless...Of course! The answer was so painfully obvious he could almost slap himself. He looked up meeting Jamie's eyes.

“Have ye figured it out then?” Jamie asked in mild irritation.

“Oh, yes Jamie. It's nothing to worry about. It's just a simple matter of giving the old girl what she wants.” He smiled happily, his impish features lighting up, relieved that they weren't in any real danger after all.  
“Aye, well that's good, mebbe you'll let the rest of us get some sleep for once, eh?” The boy said with a small smile before turning back the way he came, returning to his room. The Doctor had no doubt that, alarm or no alarm, Jamie would be asleep within seconds of his head touching the pillow. The thought made him chuckle quietly, his young friend could sleep anywhere.

The signal rang out again and the Doctor refocused on the task at hand. He too set off down the corridor, following the sound of the alarm towards the current location of Victoria's bedroom, which was somewhere between the wardrobe and an old disused greenhouse. Once he'd reached his destination, the alarm cut off and a silence rang throughout the corridor, broken only by the sound of agitated movement and low whimpers coming from behind the white door.

He pushed it open and was immediately assaulted by a violent psychic projection, visions of gore and violence attacking his sense as he experienced a small fragment of what Victoria was currently going through, the force of it all nearly causing him to drop to his knees. A wave of panic flooded through him at the sudden feeling of helplessness and he fought against him, fighting his way to the figure on the bed just a few metres in front of him.

He reached out a hand, touching the trembling girl on the shoulder, shaking her slightly and calling out her name. “Victoria, Victoria...”

\---  
“Victoria!”

Over her screams the girl heard a voice. The snakes froze in mid air, mouths still open wide, fangs glistening with their lethal venom.

“Victoria, come back to me.”

She turned, looking for the voice and froze, her mouth open in horror. It was the Doctor, only not really. He was all stitched together and seemed to be made out of various different people, the was that Krillak thing had been. His white unseeing eyes stared up at her as his mouth opened to speak again.

“You're quite safe now Victoria, I'm here.” Even like this she wanted to believe him and trust him, which is why she stared in horror as a knife made of sharpened bone flew through the air, hitting him squarely in the back of the head, the tip peeking out between his eyes. The Doctor fell to the ground, limp as a rag-doll. She never even heard him touch the ground, her terrified scream masking the sound.

Her eyes flew open, she was still screaming, staring wildly at something only she could see. There was something touching her shoulder. Without daring to turn around the young girl struggled and pulled herself out of its grip, nearly falling off the bed in the process.

“It's alright Victoria.” Came a soft voice to her left.

Big blue eyes blinked and stared at the owner of the voice incredulously. “D-Doctor?” She asked cautiously, hoping that this wasn't just another part of her seemingly never-ending nightmares.

“Yes, it's just me Victoria, you're safe.” He smiled kindly at her not making any movements, not wanting to frighten her further, letting her come to him. Which she did.

The Victorian girl slowly moved towards him and he took her hand, stroking soothing circles into the back of it even as she started to cry, her large childlike eyes brimming with silent tears, all of the ones she'd stubbornly refused to cry back in the jungle.

Still the Time Lord held on to her hand, letting her cry, giving her any reassurance he could and murmuring soft words of comfort. After a few minutes, the brunette stopped with a choked sob and looked down, away from the Doctor's kind, understanding face.

She felt ashamed; it was awfully silly of her to cry in front of the Doctor like that, he must think she was such a baby. Victoria opened her mouth and began to apologise in a small voice but the Doctor cut her off.

“There's no need to apologise. After today I'd be more surprised if you didn't cry, you've been through a lot.” He patted the back of her hand, still having not let go.

“Well, yes, I suppose I have but it's so silly of me.” She replied looking faintly disappointed in herself. “I didn't cry once down there and now, well now I just can't seem to stop myself.” She sniffed, eyes starting to fill up with tears again. “All because of a horrible nightmare and...oh it was so horrible Doctor.” The flow of tears started again.

\---  
The Doctor, at a loss for what to do, wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to sob quietly into his shoulder, his coat and arms shielding her from any further harm.

“I know Victoria, I know.” He petted her hair, smoothing the wavy brown locks under his fingers comfortingly, in a way that was faintly reminiscent of a father taking care of his daughter. “I should never have let you be in so much danger in the first place. Should never have agreed to go on that tour. It's alright now. Shhh...”

She pulled her face out of its place in the crook of his neck to gaze at him in confusion, tears staining her cheeks. “Wh-what do you mean? It's not your fault if I wandered off. You didn't mean for me to get captured.”

“Ah, but you see, it is my fault.” Victoria frowned at him. “It is Victoria. You see, you're my friend and I promised your father that I'd look after you. I should never have let you out of my sight.”

“Well,” She looked at him. “Well, I don't blame you in the least. I wandered off of my own accord. Why, even father wouldn't blame you for that. He always said I was far too curious.”

The Doctor smiled kindly, patting her gently on the back. He still blamed himself, despite her word, of course he would. His friends were under his protection, he was supposed to look after them, today had been proof that he wasn't as infallible as they seemed to think he was, that he couldn't always keep them safe even if he badly wanted to. But still, no need to let Victoria's kind words go unnoticed. “Thank you, Victoria.”

The young girl beamed, smiling through her tears, pleased that she'd managed to make him feel at least a little bit better, though she got the feeling that he was still rather upset about the whole affair, not that she would press on about it, after all, if he didn't want to talk then she couldn't make him. She was also quite happy that he hadn't asked her about her nightmare as she very much doubted she'd be able to tell it. It was just far too scary and it all seemed too real, too close. Logically, she knew that it wasn't, of course but still, who knew what could happen aboard the TARDIS.

For a while, the two sat in companionable silence, the Doctor still holding the small brunette tightly in his arms even as she started to drift off again. Blue eyes clouding with sleep before shutting entirely. He looked down at her sleeping form, a wave of affection washing over him as he pried himself out of her grip and laid her down on the bed, tucking the duvet around her neck and gently petting her cheek in an almost paternal gesture before leaving her room, silent as a shadow.

His journey back to the console room was quiet and uneventful, the small Doctor too intent on his own musings to notice anything around him. Not that anything was happening. Both Jamie and Victoria were sound asleep, sleeping off any of the after effects of their latest adventure and all was well in the TARDIS. All except the Doctor's thoughts. He was still thinking about how he'd let his two friends down. First he'd lost poor old Victoria, then Jamie; several times. That could not happen again, he told himself firmly as he reached the console. He would keep a closer eye on them, wouldn't let either of them out of his sight ever again, not even for a second, not even if Jamie complained about him mother henning.

The TARDIS landed. Earth, time period: mid 1930s, location: Himalayas. The Doctor smiled, maybe it was time for him to return that old bell...


End file.
